Building Dens

This day of den building was way back in May.  I'm forever behind, such is the nature of living life.  While it's not a masterpiece of videography it is fun to see the kids hard at work on one of our favorite forest activities.  You should see the dens that are created by some people here, they are seriously impressive.  We are clearly amateurs and mostly concentrate on the fun in the process of gathering supplies and building.

Eddy is Six!

My Eddy is spilling over into two hands to show his age.  I love this kid so much it hurts in that good way.  He is always so delighted to see me I can't help but beam back at him.  I love the way he nuzzles his head into me like a cat.  He has no trouble asking for things (sometimes to my embarrassment when it isn't precisely polite) and people just like him and shower him with stuff back.  His grin is infectious.  Both the fake and the real smiles make me smile.  He is a giggly boy over anything potty humor or silly.  He is confident in our love for him and his place in our family.

Maltby Street Market

In our search for donuts almost two years ago we went on a memorable winding way through the city until we finally found St John's donuts under the train tracks in a warehouse.  If only we had known then that just around the corner on the other side of the warehouse wall was Maltby Street Market it may have all made a little more sense!  Collin's new colleague at work wanted to meet up somewhere a few Saturdays ago.  He suggested this place and I was slightly embarrassed I didn't know about it.  I feel like two years in I should know everything about this city worth knowing.  Ha!  Anyway, Collin said we were up for anything so our families met up at the tube station.  Another, though less meandering, walk later things started to feel vaguely familiar.  And then there we were!  Only on this side of the train tracks look what a happening place!

I loved the flag bunting and the view of the Shard from the narrow alley.  Every few steps you walked was a new yummy smell from various street and ethnic food vendors.  The donuts were just as good as they were the first time (though to be honest, I prefer Bread Ahead from Borough.  I'll never turn a donut down when offered however.) and we had a great time exploring.

I liked this wall of telegram messages and the gorgeous carrots.  Random and quirky, just how I like things.

Round About England (extra stuff video)

If you don't mind/want to spend ten minutes of your life watching snippets of almost forgotten video from the past two years, please enjoy!  I'm going through trying to clear out space for all the new projects, particularly as the year is quickly coming to a close.  I loved seeing all these bits and pieces that I'd hardly remembered doing or even recording.  I threw it all together, so it's not a tidy, beautiful, portfolio-worthy thing.  But it is beautiful and real and us.

Exploring with Eliza

Before construction began we had two lifts (elevators) in the building.  I always preferred one to the other because the second felt rickety.  When they began working on refurbishing the shaft they closed the first, preferred lift.  I always held my breath and also tried to avoid having to take the lift.  But we still use the stroller like our car most days so use the lift more than many, even though we are just two flights of stairs up.  Anyway, one late afternoon we were coming back from lessons.  The boys started jostling and behaving poorly while we were waiting for the elevator to come so I sent them up the stairs together, hoping the exercise would get them out of their funk.  Eliza and I went in the small--seriously, small--lift and pushed our floor button.  The lift began, rose a few feet, but then shuttered to a stop.  I called Collin immediately, worried about the two boys I'd sent up by themselves, and asked when he'd be home.  Luckily he was three minutes away on a bus so my biggest worry was taken care of.  Now, what I should have done next (as the fireman told me almost two hours later) was to call emergency services (999 in the UK) and tell them a child was stuck in a lift.  That would have got them moving.  But, since I was with her and we had snacks and library books and my phone and Collin was taking care of the boys I didn't want to be a bother.  So first I tried using the elevator phone  Ha!  Talk about a joke.  That was hilarious.  Decades old and without even a ring tone.  Then I tried calling the lift maintenance number on my cell but it just rang and rang.  Then I asked Collin to try calling building maintenance from outside since my service was patchy in the lift.  He was given a bit of a run around (though to be fair they finally did get back, just as the firemen were finishing their rescue job).  After a while even all my entertainment--including bubbles!--ran out and Eliza said, "I'm done with being in here."  We'd been in about an hour when another tenant in the building became extra concerned about us.  We called back and forth through the door a bit to try and communicate that we were trying to manage things but I think he finally called the fire department.  I don't remember.  Anyway, the firemen did come and prise open the door.  We were only a few feet off the ground and jumped down.  They were a little surprised and appalled to see a child but lifted the stroller down and told me next time I was to call and tell them about the child to get bumped to highest priority.  Yes, sir.  All in all, we were in the lift for an hour and 45 minutes.  And we were done, but it had been an adventure.  I still don't like taking that one, though they say it's fixed and they other one is still closed.  Ahh, the joys of living through renovations.

Eliza and I have lots of fun mini-mommy dates in the mornings.  One such was sharing an ice cream at Fortnum and Mason.  Pretty much the only thing I could think to afford there was a 10 pound ice cream.  Ha!  It was really fun to build our own sundae and everything was high quality and delicious.  I had to remind her that not everything we do during the day has to be talked about in front of the brothers.  They each had their time of toddler/preschool dates with mommy (even if they don't remember) but some things we can keep quiet.  So that night during dinner conversation she very carefully said something like, "so mommy, remember that ice cream and gummy bears today?" and I said, "Shhh!  Nothing, boys!" and she said, "but I wasn't telling them, I was telling you!"

This dress was one I got on eBay for Easter.  I thought--and was right--that Eliza would like the swirly skirt.  She wore it to the museum one day and had a run in with non washable (???) paint at the toddler activity.  I tired in vain to get the paint out and eventually sadly put the dress in the goodbye pile.  Then I had an idea to fix it up and moved it to the project pile.  Otherwise known as the black hole.  Indeed, I promptly forgot about it.  Then I was organizing and came across it again and realized I need to be quick if I wanted to do anything about it before she outgrows it.  So one night I brought out the paints and started going at it.  She and I were both pretty pleased at what came out.  Debuting her London dress!

The only trouble is, now I'm addicted and keep looking for anything paintable in reach.

Fenton House Apples

We had a bit of an Indian Summer (not sure what the politically correct term for that is . . .) and it was perfectly delightful.  Eliza and I have made the most of it, exploring all around the city and our neighborhood most mornings.  Two mornings--one overcast but warm and one sunny and warm--we visited Fenton House in Hampstead.  It's a mile walk up the hill from us.  It used to be a village a morning's ride from the city of London in horseback days and still retains its charm.  An old merchant's house is built on the hill and has the most amazing secret garden.  We also went in the house for the first time and enjoyed the collection of instruments but mostly the view from the walk out balcony.  You could see all the way out to the Thames before the buildings popped up.  The view of the city is still remarkable. 

In the garden we found fall.  The apples were ripe and the pumpkins growing big.

On our second visit, only a week after the first, I made sure I brought out my Grandmother Bee's apple dress for the occasion.  We were escaping a very noisy and intrusive part of the construction where the workers had to be in our flat to replace windows.  I planned to be out all day.  Eliza loved the dress and the outing.  We cheated and brought apples from the grocery store so I wouldn't feel awkward about using them for props. 

Eliza had requested a braid crown.  I added the leaves into her hair when we were playing in the garden.  I loved how she looked like a wood nymph but honestly she wasn't a fan.

We haven't gone completely apple crazy like I remember we did in New England.  I mean, Eddy can put away two or three apples a day easy.  I did make an apple crumble but I ate most of it myself.  This reminds me I should do some apple sauce.  The apple juice from Fenton House is yummy (but maybe not worth the 4 quid sticker price).  I mostly just enjoy being outside on a glorious fall day and seeing the world turn warm colors even as the temperature cools. 

Westminster Abbey Summer Activities

One of my best finds for staying in London over the summer is the free activities the education department at Westminster Abbey puts on for the children.  We did several--not every week of the six week break but most.  In addition to the brilliant activities I love getting to poke around the lesser known parts of the Abbey campus and hang out as long as we want in the cloisters.  The activities we attended were about explorers, knights, the plague, and family history.  We also designed family crests and made poppies to create a wreath to place in front of the unknown solidier's tomb. 

We explored all the free access parts we could.  We saw the oldest door in the UK, peeked through key holes, peered into side chapels and spent as much time in the cloisters as I could manage.

The only thing to complain about in London during the summer are the tourist crowds.  Getting to and from the Abbey through the mobs was cray-zay.  Took twice as long and had to keep everyone close.  The Westminster activities are incredibly worth it and I'm so sad that we won't be able to attend again next year.  I hope the people who get our places enjoy it as much as we have!